Raptor, which was
built in 1994, is located at Cedar
Point in Sandusky,
Ohio,
one of the
highest
rated
amusement parks in
the
United
States. Cedar Point is home to one of the largest coaster collections in
the world.

Raptor was the
first chance for designers Bolliger & Mabillard to go all out with their inverted
design. Instead of featuring a short layout designed to fit in a compact
space like Batman: The Ride, Raptor
was
designed
with
a
unique 3,790-foot layout.

When Raptor first opened, it became the world's
tallest inverted coaster at 137-feet, the fastest at 57mph, and
the longest. The ride contains six amazing inversions - a
vertical loop, an inline twist, a cobra roll
(which
turns riders upside down twice)
and two corkscrews. Raptor was the first inverted coaster in the world to
feature a cobra roll.

.............

Raptor
is
located
near
the
front
of
the
park.
The
ride features standard
B&M inverted trains with eight rows of 4-across seating.

The ride starts with a quick
left hand turn into the 137-foot lift. From the top, you head over a little
dip, and then down the 119-foot drop, that features a 180� twist to the
left. Raptor's drop is very fun and intense and in my opinion, it
surpasses that of Batman: The Ride.

From the bottom of
the first drop, you immediately head
into the vertical loop, which offers high positive Gs. After the vertical loop, you
head into an zero-g roll, which is very fun and disorienting. Next up comes the cobra
roll, which inverts riders twice; another fun and disorienting inversion.

After the cobra roll,
you head into an upward spiral and onto the mid-course brake run, which barely
slow you down. Coming off the brake run, you make a left-hand dive down
into the first of two corkscrews.

From here, you
pass through a section of straight track and
then make a banked turn over the
transition
into the vertical loop. From this point, you drop down into the second
corkscrew, which is just as intense as the first. Next up comes an amazing
double helix that features very high g-forces; definitely one of the best
elements on the ride. Following the helix, you take one more quick turn
and head back into the station.

.............

Simply put, Raptor
is an extraordinary coaster. It is definitely one of the best rides at Cedar
Point, and many consider it to be the best inverted coaster in the world.

While it may not be as
intense as compact models such as Batman: The Ride,
Raptor makes up for it with a wide variety of elements and wonderful
pacing. Definitely one that should not be missed.